Traverse City Area Insight

Heading north to Traverse City to explore homes? Be sure to stop by The Little Fleet after four hours in the car with a hungry stomach and longing for a cocktail. This hot spot for local residents features food trucks for all palettes, a full bar, outdoor tiki lounge, live music and is within walking distance to beautiful downtown beaches.

Offering a 10K, half marathon and marathon, the Bayshore races bring up to 7,100 runners from Traverse City, as well as around the US and the world, to the roads of Old Mission Peninsula on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day. While hilly Devil’s Dive is an immediate challenge for half marathoners, the marathon course is fast and flat producing personal bests for many runners.

Scenic views of East Grand Traverse Bay offer a distraction while the cheering aid station volunteers help runners stay motivated and hydrated. Organized by the Traverse City Track Club, the Bayshore races have been run since 1982. Race proceeds support a multitude of local non-profits, running programs, and scholarships. Lace up your shoes and start training for next year!

If you are a mountain biker in Traverse City, the VASA Pathway trails are your playground! There are 3, 5, 11, and 27 kilometer loops of easy, wide trails for groups and beginners. For more experienced riders, there are 12 miles of designated single track trail plus additional defacto trails which present less groomed terrain. The Bartlett Road and Supply Road trail heads, as well as Timber Ridge Campground provide easy access. Be alert for deer, porcupine, a bear or two, and the occasional skunk; you have entered their world. Trail maps may be found at: https://traversetrails.org/trail/vasa-pathway/. Enjoy the ride!

Traverse City, arguably the best town in Northwest Michigan, is absolutely beautiful. With the beautiful rolling hills and the boutiques, restaurants, bars, and galleries on Front Street, it's easy to see why this town is not only a great town to visit, but live in. Take a drive down M-22 or M-31 and you are caught in awe. Paddleboard on east or west Grand Traverse Bay and feel like you are on the coast of California rather than Michigan. You get that wholesome community feeling that you just don't get in other parts of Michigan and the United States.

There are economic pitfalls, however, for anyone planning to move to the area. Home values have skyrocketed year-after-year. Traverse City is predominantly a service oriented job town as it is what would be considered a "vacation town." This makes things difficult and has caused issues for locals in the service industry that want to rent or buy homes. With the skyrocketing values, many are getting edged out. It is very important to understand the home market in Traverse City before you plan to move. There are options, but it is highly advisable to contact a reputable Realtor prior to making the move.

Do you live in Traverse City? What are your thoughts on the economics? Perhaps it's time to figure out a way to create more affordable housing!

Traverse City, and the majority of Northern Michigan experiences some serious storms. If you are visiting from an area that doesn't receive harsh winter weather, it's best to plan ahead. Check weather forecasts and pack a blanket, flashlight, some food and water. Exercise caution and pull into a safe area and wait out the storm if you don't feel comfortable driving in it.

With extreme beauty, Northern Michigan comes with extreme winter hazards. Below you can see a video I took while driving between Traverse City and Acme. I'm a seasoned driver in snowy weather, however, even I had to pull aside this winter. The only thing that allowed me to travel to that safe point, without being able to see the road, was the sound of the rumble strip on the pavement under my tires. Enjoy the pure Michigan experience, but do it safely! We want to see you for your next visit!

Norte! has been the driving force behind Safe Routes To School programs at local public and private schools in TC. Inviting students, parents, principals, teachers, and school board members to cycle to school has quickly created a walking/biking awareness and culture among educational leaders and community families.

Norte! has created a number of fun programs to encourage participation in Safe Routes to School now and in the future! We really love the Estrellas! Tots on balance bikes are the happiest kids ever!The Bike Library; bikes for kids that don’t have them, and El Barrio Bike Fix, a learn bike repairs program, remove barriers for kids and families to participate in an active lifestyle.

Norte! leads by example with Pro Walk/ Pro Bike advocacy. With an ever-growing list of events and activities that engage and encourage cycling as a way of life, Norte! leaders and members challenge Traverse City community members to join them with a “do as we do” approach! TC Rides is a weekly slow ride through town that is open to anyone and brings visibility to cycling and cycling safety.

Additionally, Norte!’s Pro Walk/Pro Bike Advocacy happens with great communication! From an awesome website to engaging and up-to-date social media, the message is clear and inclusive. TC Bike Life gives us examples of how community members incorporate non-motorized travel into their daily lives. Norte! is engaging the Traverse City community and local government in creating an even more pedestrian and bike friendly Traverse City and so that living the non-motorized life can be the norm rather than the exception!

The National Writers Series has been bringing noted authors to Traverse City since 2009. These author events are more than a quick book signing. Each event includes an evening on the stage of the City Opera House with an author/moderator conversing with the headlining author. It feels like a casual, yet thought-provoking conversation between intelligent friends. Authors discuss their newest book, the finer points of the craft, and life as a writer.

From Tom Brokaw to Rita Mae Brown to Mario Batali, the variety of authors appeals to many different individuals, but also provides the individual seeking a new experience each month with just that!

While the goal of the National Writers Series is to encourage writers, the author events are a wonderful opportunity for readers to gain insights into their favorite books and the authors behind them.

Enjoy the fun of learning without the stress! LIFE Academy participants explore their interests and meet new people. Classes include Sleeping Bear Dunes hikes, culinary classes, language classes, International Affairs speakers, exercise classes, photography and art classes, computer classes, and more. Do you want to learn to fly fish or take up social dancing? This is the place! From a month long Mah Jongg class to a three day IPhone class, there are a variety of scheduling options. We love that Traverse City is full of curious people…of all ages!

We love our downtown neighborhoods in Traverse City! But, barely outside our small city limits are some wonderful neighborhoods with easy walkable and bike-able access to Downtown.

Just east of the city limits and about three miles east of the center of Traverse City is the Avenue Neighborhood. Bordered by Avenue B on the west and Three Mile Road on the east, this neighborhood enjoys easy walking, running, and biking access to downtown with the paved TART trail bordering its south side. Close proximity to Northwestern Michigan College, Coast Guard soccer fields, the State Park Beach on East Bay, and shopping are a few more perks for this neighborhood.

The Veterans Drive neighborhoods of Vista Park, Country Club Drive, and Orthwoods are barely outside the city limits; literally, the city boundary borders the north side of Vista Park. These neighborhoods include single family homes, condos, and a few duplexes that could be great investment properties. With a quick downhill walk or bike north to the center of downtown, as well as easy access to Traverse City Golf & Country Club, Grand Traverse Mall and surrounding stores, these neighborhoods offer loads of convenience. For craft brew lovers, award-winning Right Brain Brewery is just a walk down the hill. Traverse City Whiskey Co distillery and tasting room are a couple blocks further. On 14th Street, you can get your sushi fix with the brick and mortar location for White on Rice, a favorite of food truck patrons. So check out these Veterans Drive neighborhoods for some quality homes!

Foxcraft Estates located off North Long Lake Road offers quiet neighborhood streets and backdoor hiking access to Copper Ridge and Grand Traverse Commons. Appreciate wooded hillsides carpeted in trillium in the spring along the Commons trails as you make your way down the hill. These trails are also favorites of mountain bikers who need a quick workout close to home! With this short hike into the Commons; a village within the city, you will enjoy restaurants, coffee shops, wineries, a bakery, salons, and retail shops, in addition to a multitude of professional services such as financial planners, doctors, physical therapists, and more.

So if you don’t find your perfect downtown home, no worries. These are a few more neighborhoods that could give you that easy access to downtown fun and offer a few perks of their own.

In and around Traverse City, kids love the beaches for sand castles and swimming as well as the forests for exploring and tree forts! The National Cherry Festival is full of fun for children with pie eating contests, rubber duck races, and pet parades. The Film Festival offers children’s movies and usually a few of the free outdoor movies are PG or better. Play groups, soccer leagues, dance classes, story times at the library, and art classes are just some of the fun activities for kids in TC. Bike trails, playgrounds and sports fields can be found all around town. Downtown Traverse City ice cream and fudge shops turn everyone into a kid!

The first annual Traverse City Kid Expo was held in March 2017 with over 30 vendors, helping families learn about the variety of children’s activities in the Grand Traverse area. While schools and other groups have organized child and family expos in the past, Traverse City Kid on Facebook and www.traversecitykid.com is doing a great job of providing an extensive online list of events and opportunities for families!

Finding a secluded spot on an inland lake of East or West Grand Traverse Bays is about time of day and location. Sure if you head to a sand bar mid-afternoon on a holiday weekend or to the mouth of the Boardman River on West Bay early in the morning, you may be joining the crowds…well, northern Michigan’s version of crowds which really aren’t so bad.

An early morning kayak or paddle board excursion from West Bay’s West End beach headed north through the moored sailboats at the yacht club past Elmwood Township Marina yields a peaceful experience most often with no additional human contact. A trip along the southern East Bay shoreline past the State Park Beach headed west and north along Old Mission Peninsula offers protected waters and the friendly raise of a coffee mug to say “good morning” as a beach-goer appreciates the sunrise with you. On occasion, a splash and stifled giggles will break the quiet as someone falls off their board in an early paddle board yoga class near the State Park in East Bay. Kudos for trying –it isn’t easy to hold triangle pose on a paddle board.

Most week days you will find calm waters and only a few boaters or paddlers on many inland lakes- Spider, Arbutus, Cedar, Bass, and Long Lakes are a few of my favorites. This is a perfect time to enjoy diving loons and mergansers, jumping fish, and if you are lucky, a muskrat or river otter! You may just stumble across a stream or small lake in the woods on a VASA trail hike as well. With new Grand Traverse Land Conservancy parks throughout the area, there is more public shoreline access than ever before. So find your quiet, or not so quiet, time and place and enjoy the waters around the Traverse City area!

After a winter of cross country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding, fat tire biking and snowmobiling, Traverse City folks are transitioning to warm weather gear and activities. The road bikers are flying and the townies are cruising along the paved TART, Leelanau, and Sleeping Bear Heritage trails. Watch those bike lanes! The mountain bikers are enjoying the VASA, Muncie Lakes, and Sand Lakes trails. ATVs and dirt bikes are zipping along the two tracks.

Traverse City warm weather lovers are also joining the ranks of runners, walkers, and hikers that braved cooler temps through the winter. Fishermen are headed to their secret, or not so secret, spring spots on lakes and rivers. And it’s even beach weather…maybe not for swimming quite yet, but some sand between your toes at West End and the State Park beaches are proof that summer is just around the corner. Even better, slide that kayak or paddle board in the water for a workout or leisurely paddle.

As always, be safe; water temps are still chilly in May. Pretty soon the lakes and bays will warm enough to welcome boaters, parasailers, jet skiers, and swimmers! Come fall, hunters and leaf peepers will join the ranks of the outdoor enthusiasts. 2016 promises to be a year for trying new adventures each season! While we love our snow and winters, Traverse City embraces all four seasons! Life in Traverse City really can feel like you are on vacation year round!

More people want to be in the heart of it all. There's great demand for living in the vibrant downtown of Traverse City. And why not? In addition to the many shops and one-of-a-kind retailers downtown, a large selection of casual and fine dining establishments, two unique movie venues, the historic City Opera House for the performing arts, Old Town Playhouse for theater productions, plenty of bars offering live music, a Farmers Market and, of course, there's the bay all within walking distance. The services available to downtown dwellers range from the post office to many banks, cleaners, churches and even mass transit.

Downtown Traverse City cradles the bottom of the great and beautiful West Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Downtowners love the fact that they can walk to the beach and marina. The entire waterfront along downtown is a public park.

In the 1990's, progressive developers teamed up with local government and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to clean and reclaim former industrial property bordering downtown along the Boardman River. Multi-use buildings with housing and upscale condominium projects soon followed. Rivers Edge was a first with upper floor units that overlook the river, city and the bay beyond. Midtown Centre a few blocks away has townhouse-style condominium living.

There are many more multi-family housing projects and more in the works. The city has so much too offer anyone that lives in or visits downtown. Traverse City has succeeded at creating downtown housing that complements the community lifestyle.

As a visitor to Traverse City, how many times have you watched all the people going by and thought to yourself, “It sure would be nice to live here in Traverse City?” Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret…most of the people living here had that same thought cross their mind at one time…including me back in 1992.

Step 1 – Make a decision to make Traverse City your home

Step 2 – Timing. Not everyone is blessed with the ability to pick up roots and move to another town or state. If that is the case you might want to start out slow by visiting regularly, maybe checking into a time-share, buy a vacation home or even a rental property. Basically “Get Your Feet Wet”.

Step 3 – Find yourself a good real estate agent and make them your new best friend. Trust me when I tell you this. A good realtor can be invaluable to you long before you make the final move. Each and every day it seems someone is calling me asking for an opinion on something, whether it is a new restaurant, a good mechanic, or a rental property for the 4th. We keep our eyes and ears open and we know what is going on…or we know someone who does.

Step 4 – Find a great local lender. The only person who can make your deal a reality faster than a realtor is your lender. Your realtor should have several lenders they will recommend. What about your current lender? While I know there are dozens of great lenders out there, you want to be sure your lender understands the local trends, and products available to people buying in the Traverse City Area.

Step 5 – Come take a tour. The best advice I can give you is to be 100% honest with your realtor. Whether you are planning to buy in 2 years, 10 years or next month, do yourself a favor and keep your realtor in the know. We know not everyone is planning to buy today but it is important to start somewhere. Have your agent show you the area, tour some neighborhoods, introduce you to some locals, recommend a hotel, or restaurant.

Buy letting your agent know your timing, you are showing them that while you look forward to them helping you, you also respect their time. When I have the time I will bend over backward to help my current and future clients any way I can, even if it might not involve real estate.

Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. The firm operating this website does not display the entire MLS (or MichRIC) Broker Reciprocity database on this web site. Any use of search facilities of data on the site, other than by a consumer looking to purchase real estate, is prohibited. Updated on 9/14/2019.

The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange Program of the Northern Michigan MLS (NM-MLSX). Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than RE/MAX of Michigan are marked with the NM-MLSX logo and the detailed information about said listing includes the listing office.

NM-MLSX (IDX) information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use, that it may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing

The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data exchange ("IDX") program of Northern Great Lakes REALTORS MLS. All information is provided exclusively for the consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.